Auburn Makes Big Impression On Big 4-Star DT

Jason Caldwell

05/18/2014

Massive junior college defensive tackle D.J. Jones discusses his visit to check out the Auburn Tigers on Sunday.

Scooba, Miss.--One of the top junior college defensive tackles in the country, 6-2, 310 D.J. Jones from East Mississippi Community College took a visit to Auburn on Sunday to check out the Tigers and get a feel for the campus. Spending time with the coaching staff and learning more about the program, Jones said Auburn is definitely a school on the rise for him.

"It was good getting to see it for the first time," Jones said. "I got to sit down with the coaches and talk some ball. I got to talk to Coach (Gus) Malzahn for a good bit. He's a great guy. I didn't know he was that tall. He told us about his pretty interesting career.

"They've got a few coaches there that I already know," he added. "He's a great coach and a great guy. I already knew Coach (Rodney) Garner. I met Coach Cheese (Charlie Harbison) and I have known Coach (Melvin) Smith. I'm just getting to know them better and got to know more about them."

I took that three hour ride and it was worth it," Jones said. "They spread a light on a lot of things. They are serious over there. It's not just a ticket, but a chance to play in the NFL and have a great career under a great coach.

"They are up there," he added about Auburn. "Honestly, with what I saw today and what I heard. I didn't even do many of the things I have done other places but it went over by sitting down and talking to them."

With Jeffrey Whitaker, Gabe Wright, Angelo Blackson and Ben Bradley all seniors next season, Auburn will have playing time available in 2015. That's especially true for a player coming out of the junior college ranks like Jones and he said that's exciting to think about.

"That's real important," Jones said. "He (Garner) broke that down to me seeing how they are only going to have one or two defensive tackles once I came in. That's real important and something I haven't seen any other places."

Planning to make a decision sometime in November or early December and enroll in time for spring practice, Jones said he's currently got a big list he's working with but knows he'll visit both Auburn and Tennessee this fall for official visits.

As a freshman at EMCC, Jones helped his team win a NJCAA national championship by notching 49 total tackles, including eight for a loss and eight sacks. He also forced and recovered one fumble during the campaign. He will have three years to play two on the next level.